Southeast Iowa is hosting a sold-out event today (Thursday) which the American Bus Association has named as one of the top one-hundred events in North America. It’s a barn tour of Van Buren County.
Stacey Glandon is executive director of the Villages of Van Buren and says the barn tour is extremely popular. Glandon says they have about 50 barns in the county that are unique and historical. The touring motor coaches each visit about ten of the various barns — which she says are wonderfully diverse and tell a story about Iowa’s past and present.
There’s a four-story round barn, Amish barns, a working dairy barn — lots of unique structures. Those on the tour will hop out and take pictures, then learn all about the history of each barn from the owner along with the construction, uses and unique features.
Glandon explains the multi-leveled goals of the low-tech tour. She says the barn tour highlights a part of Iowa’s history that often goes unnoticed. “When our ancestors came into the county, oftentimes the barn was the first structure that was built before they even considered the house. We also want to point out to the barn owners the importance of restoring the barns that we have and preserving that piece of history.” For more information, surf to “www.villagesofvanburen.com”.
Related web sites:
Villages of Van Buren info